Forensic report rules out Atharva Shinde’s murder

MUMBAI: Mumbai police’s crime branch has claimed that there was no foul-play in the case related to 20-year-old Atharva Shinde, the son of EOW officer Narendra Shinde who died on May 9 after attending a friend’s party at Aarey Colony, due to injuries sustained after he fell on the way back home near Aarey allegedly due to an overdose of drugs and dehydration. The claims come after the forensic report rule out any foul play, and the CCTV footage too backs up the theory that he was not murdered.

Police sources said that the results of the Forensic Science Laboratories (FSL) suggest that the 20-year-old’s cause of death was extreme lack of food and water in his body leading to dehydration, which was coupled up with his consumption of the Cannabis drug during the time he was partying  with his friends.

Chimaji Adhav, senior police inspector of crime branch’s unit 11 said, “We have tracked the movements of the youngster via CCTV cameras installed in the way, which showed that he fell down the slope leading to his external injuries. His movements also showed no brawls or arguments that he had with anyone.”

Mr Adhav also said that Atharva was walking in an inebriated state and tumbled down.

Atharva, a student of a Pune-based college where he was studying sound engineering, had come to the city to attend a friend’s birthday party on May 7. The same night, Atharva had texted his father saying that since it was very late, he will be returning the next morning, only to never return. His body was found near a lake on May 9 with injuries on his chest, head, eyes and private parts. Nine days after police were unable to get a lead, the case was transferred to crime branch unit 11 on his father’s request, which ruled out foul play.

When The Asian Age tried contacting Narendra Shinde to know his views on the probe’s findings, he was unavailable for a comment.